


Shady Oaks is a Good Place

by violethoure666



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Angst, Creepy Cul de Sacs, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fake Relationship, Fluff, Mutual Pining, Reylo - Freeform, Rom-Com vibes, Slow Burn, Suburbia, Supernatural Elements, Tags May Change, They Drive a Minivan, White Picket Fences, X-files Vibes, lots of tropes, spooky stuff, undercover agents
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-18
Updated: 2018-04-25
Packaged: 2019-04-24 18:22:39
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,770
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14361039
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/violethoure666/pseuds/violethoure666
Summary: “I'm not saying that this isn't a case, I'm just saying do you really think that sending me and Ben to pose as-- as a married couple is going to be at all convincing? Leia, we can hardly stand in the same room without wanting to tear each other apart. I know he's your son, and I'm sorry for this, but he's the absolute worst.”Ben and Rey play house in a picture-perfect suburban neighborhood where not everything is as perfect as it seems.





	1. Shady People

“You've got to be kidding me,” Rey said, putting her hands on her hips. She was standing in her AD’s office, and Leia Organa didn't look like she was kidding at all.

“I'm dead serious. Three couples have gone missing in six months, Rey; we need you there.”

“I'm not saying that this isn't a case, I'm just saying do you really think that sending me and Ben to pose as-- as a married couple is going to be at all convincing? Leia, we can hardly stand in the same room without wanting to tear each other apart. I know he's your son, and I'm sorry for this, but he's the absolute worst.”

Leia gave her a _look_.

“Listen, Ben is going. If you're refusing the assignment you can let me know in an official capacity. I like you Rey, but I'm your boss. This is happening.”

Rey sighed, her shoulders slumping.

“Yeah okay, I'll do it.”

“Good. Pack plenty, this could take a while…”

  
Rey Johnson had joined the FBI right out of college. She had graduated from Quantico at the head of her class. Rey didn't do things halfway. She wanted to be the best goddamn agent the bureau had ever seen.

She was fast, she was strong, she was spirited -- all of this made Rey an excellent agent, but if she was being honest it kept her from being an optimum partner. A little too headstrong, a little too cocksure.

Being undercover was a test. Being with Ben for god knows how long was a test. Leia was challenging her, hoping she would come out victorious, but ultimately, Rey would be judged for this, she knew it.

She was determined do it. To do it well.

There was a knock on her door.

“It’s open,” she called and suddenly her office seemed small, as most of it was now occupied by Ben Solo.

“Did you seriously agree to take this case? Why?”

Rey felt herself flush.

“Because I don't like to back down from a challenge,” she said, and then added with a shrug, “And because Leia told me I had to.” Ben's eyes darkened.

“Oh, she thinks she’s so fucking clever,” Ben said, running his hands through his hair. He leveled Rey with a _look_. He had his mother’s eyes.

“This is gonna suck,” he told her.

“Oh no, honey,” Rey said, blinking up at him, “this is going to be fun.”

It turned out Ben Solo was easy to fluster. He turned red, probably with anger, backed away from her and walked out of her office.

Who was she kidding. This _was_ going to suck.

 

___________

  
Ben had a lot of feelings about his mother, and a good handful of them were pleasant. He was trying to remember those feelings now, and he was failing.

He stormed into her office.

“Ben! Nice to see you. Come on in.”

Ben was very much _in_ already.

“Why Rey?”

“Ben--”

“Because I feel like you're intentionally endangering this assignment.”

“Why? Because I have faith in both of you?”

“You know that's not-- mom she's ridiculous. She can't even hold down a partner for field duty. This is… dangerous.”

“Ben. You're going to one of the most exclusive and highly rated gated communities in the country. You will be playing monopoly with neighbors and watching football. This isn't the damn cartel. And besides.” Leia's eyes softened. “She needs a teacher.”

Ben groaned.

His mother could be infuriating, but she always knew how to get under his skin.

“God, I hope you're right about this,” he said.

“I almost always am.”

 

Ben picked up Rey the next morning in a _fucking minivan_. Suburbia had always freaked Ben out; it felt fitting that there was some terrible secret brewing in what looked like a picture-perfect community. Rey was flipping through the briefings they had received.

“Kira and Kylo Ren? Really? Sounds fake as hell.”

She had a point but Ben wasn't going to let her know it.

“Better get used to it,” he said.

“Yes, honey,” she deadpanned, flipping through the files.

“Okay, where did you go to college?” she quizzed him.

“MIT where I majored in computer science, graduated glass of 2008, I got my masters in the same field from Stanford, wanted to be back home on the west coast, graduated Suma Cum Laude class of 2010. Then I moved to San Francisco to work for Google. Rey, I got this, trust me. Tell me about you. I need to have that memorized as well.”

None of that was true, but Ben had spent hours poring over the file and he knew Kylo now. He was sure.

“Yeah, okay, I grew up outside of Bakersfield -- yikes, right? I moved to San Francisco to go to art school, very free spirit, clearly, and I met you because you always came into the coffee shop I worked at. Honestly, this is so cliche, but okay.”

“Tell me about Kira,” Ben said.

“What do you mean? I _just_ did,” Rey said.

“Those are facts, they're important, but how is Kira different from you? I mean you're this like-- high energy, neurotic person who barrels her way through obstacles--”

“Okay, rude,” Rey said.

“Just-- would Kira be the same way? She went to art school, she stayed on the west coast, she's probably a hippy or like some new age loving yoga instructor or I don't know.” Ben shrugged. Maybe this was stupid. He wasn't explaining it right and she was going to think he was just being a dick.

“Okay,” Rey said slowly, thinking about it. “Okay, yeah, she's a little more, relaxed, I guess. She's someone who has the patience to sit and make art which I never would, even though she's a wedding photographer now -- by the way, that's fun. She dresses preppier than I do. I mean, she's the kind of girl who wants to live in the seventh circle of suburbia, really she's got to be twisted.”

Ben let out a breath that was also a laugh, his mouth quirking.

“You don't have to tell me, these places have always freaked me out,” he told her. “So uh, how long have we been married.”

“Six months. We dated for two years before that, though. Spring wedding, lots of flowers, tea lights, Mason jars full of wine.”

“Newlyweds,” Ben said, fucking great. He knew he was going to have to show some affection, but he was hoping to keep it minimal in public and absolutely nonexistent in private.

God, he hoped they solved this case quickly.

____________

Shady Oaks was beautiful in that Desperate Housewives kind of way, which was to say it looked expensive and sketchy. Rey couldn't believe people opted to live like this.

She was trying not to let her nerves get the best of her, but this whole situation was nerve-wracking and also Ben Solo kind of made her nervous. Ben had never been nice to her. The fact that Rey had grown to have a close working relationship with his mother only seemed to put him off more. He'd spoken out on more than one occasion, requesting specifically not to be partnered with Rey. He didn't trust her, and that was dangerous in the field. It could still be dangerous in suburbia.

The house was fucking pink. Off-pink, maybe, but there seemed to be only three colors on the entire block and they were yellow, beige and pink.

Their house was pink.

There was a mailbox on the neat square lawn that read The Ren’s.

It was surreal. A moving truck was already outside when they pulled up, bringing furniture inside. Ben was hardly looking at her, he seemed determined not to make eye contact if he didn't have to. Rey was nervous, but she could do this.

She took in Ben Solo for a moment. He was in plain dark jeans and a grey tee shirt with a blazer. He looked professional, neutral. Kylo, she reminded herself. Kylo.

She came and stood beside him, a wide grin splitting her face.

“I absolutely love it! All I've ever wanted was a giant pink house,” Rey said, bouncing on the balls of her feet. Ben’s mouth twitched but he didn't smile. He turned his dark eyes to her, and there was more disdain than amusement.

Rey rolled her eyes and went to ask if she could help the movers.

“Hey there, neighbors!” a voice said from behind her. She turned around to see a handsome man in his mid thirties, dressed gold club preppy with khaki shorts and a pink polo, a heather gray sweater tied around his shoulders and shiny white oxfords on his feet.

“Hi there, I'm Kira,” Rey stuck her hand out.

“Kira! I'm Poe, so lovely to meet you.”

“That's my husband Kylo over there,” Rey nodded toward Ben. Poe’s eyes swept over him. He made a face that definitely meant niceee and looked back at Rey.

“He's _big_ ,” he said.

Rey let out a laugh. “Yes, he is.”

Ben was listening now, and his cheeks had reddened. Rey walked over to him and slipped an arm around his waist.

“We are just so thrilled to be a part of your community, we've been on the waitlist for Shady Oaks for a year. We signed up before we even tied the knot, right, honey?”

“Absolutely,” Ben said, and he sounded smooth and sure. “We knew there was no other place we wanted to live. We're Shady people, down to our bones.”

He slid an arm around Rey and she tried to ignore the fact that like this she could smell him, and he smelled _good_.

“Well, let me be the first to officially welcome you. I'm sure you're going to love it.” Poe flashed them a dazzling smile before heading across the street to his very yellow house.

Love it. Sure.

The house was big. Bigger than any place Rey had ever lived. It was the kind of house you could picture children running through. A true family style home. It opened up onto a staircase with a dining room on one side and a family room on the other. The back had a large living room opening up onto a porch, looking over a neat yard with a square pool.

Movers we're bringing in mattresses and couches and coffee tables, Rey was impressed. She tried to be helpful and when that didn't work she stayed out of the way until boxes of kitchen supplies were loaded onto the counter and she could start unpacking.

She busied herself putting away glasses and plates while Ben instructed movers. The whole thing took a few hours and by the time they crew cleared our Rey was thankful for the quiet.

“Come see your room,” Ben said, leading her upstairs.

“You have the master,” he said, pushing open the door. The room was beautiful: it had a bay window with a reading seat and a massive closet, more space than Rey would ever need.

“You sure?” she asked him.

“Yeah, I'm taking the guest room. Don't worry about it.”

Rey nodded and brought her suitcase over to the dresser.

“I'm gonna go order pizza, you hungry?”

“Always,” Rey said. Ben just nodded and disappeared downstairs.

  
Rey took a shower, the water pressure was glorious, and she changed into soft sweatpants and t-shirt before heading downstairs.

It felt weird to walk into the kitchen with wet hair and pajamas and see Ben. She was weirdly self conscious. He was opening up a box of pizza; there were two on the table, more than enough for just them.

“I didn't know what you wanted,” Ben said with a shrug. “One is half cheese half veggies, one is meat.”

“Meat,” Rey said without blinking and put two giant slices on a plate.

Ben blinked at her and grabbed a veggie slice for himself.

“Wanna watch TV? I set up the Roku.”

“Yeah, totally,” Rey said, carrying her plate of pizza into the living room.

The TV was connected to Ben’s Netflix account. He had changed the name already so it read Kylo and Rey smirked. He was thorough.

She started flipping through the recently watched and recommended.

_The Truth Behind: UFOs. UNACKNOWLEDGED: Alien Secrets. Unsealed Alien Files. Alien Contact. Cosmos. Conspiracy Theories Revealed. Alien Autopsy: Fact or Fiction._

“Wow okay, so, aliens huh?”

Ben looked confused for a second before his eyes darted to the screen. His face went red. It was kind of cute. Rey started laughing.

“It's all good, Solo, I like aliens too. Let's watch Independence Day, we can rent it.”

“No,” Ben said, his tone clipped. “Don't rent it. I, uh-- I own it.”

He took the remote from Rey, who was still laughing, and started the movie.

Rey managed to stay awake through the whole movie, despite being tired from moving boxes and full of pizza. At least she and Ben had the same taste in television. She didn't peg him as a sci-fi dude, but she was pleased. Maybe this wasn't going to be terrible. She said as much.

“You know, maybe this won't be terrible.”

Ben looked over at her, eyebrows drawn together. He didn't look like he shared her sentiment.

“I mean-- as long as you can pull your weight with this investigation, we’ll get through it.”

There was an implication there that Rey resented.

“If I can… pull my weight? What the hell does that mean Solo?”

Ben shrugged. “I just know your track record, I know you can get a little hot headed and undercover work isn't fieldwork, you need to be able to keep your head on straight for weeks at a time.”

“As opposed to…” Rey trailed off.

“As opposed to jumping to conclusions and arresting the first person who pisses you off.”

“If you're referring to the Santiago case, that guy was a douche and he put his hands on me--”

“I'm just saying, you have a reputation,” Ben said as he took their plates into the kitchen and moved the pizza to the fridge.

“Right. I have a reputation. That's funny, coming from you.”

Ben froze, turned to face her.

“What does that mean?”

“Oh nothing,” Rey shrugged, “just that your files are public record. I know about the incidents a few years ago. I know about the Snoke case.”

Ben positively paled.

“You don't know what the fuck you're talking about, Johnson,” he said.

Rey felt anger uncurl inside of her.

“Oh fuck you, Solo! You come in here on some fucking high horse treating me like a loose canon when you don't know shit about me, you have always refused to be partnered with me--”

“Maybe there's a reason for that,” Ben said, and his voice was calm even though his eyes were flashing.

Rey let out a barking laugh.

“Captain Tantrum is worried about me! Rey Fucking Johnson, top of her class at Quantico, the same girl who rose astronomically in the Bureau in just a few short years, who is taking on cases other people don't dream of seeing until they’re ten years down the line. By all means, Ben Solo, enlighten me! What reason do you have for automatically distrusting me?”

Ben just looked at her, a mixture of distaste and disbelief on his face.

“Wow, Rey,” he said, and he brushed past her. “If I were you, I'd try to calm down.”

He disappeared up the stairs and Rey had to bite her cheek to keep from smashing every dish she had painstakingly unpacked earlier in the day.


	2. At Least There's Cheese

Ben woke up around 7:00 the next morning and unpacked the weights in the garage. He would have to find a gym nearby, but for now at least he could burn off some excess energy.

 

When he went back inside around 8:00 Rey was in the kitchen chugging water. Ben froze. She was sweaty from a run. He wasn't sure what to say -- he _did_ think she overreacted last night, the whole thing had been a fucking disaster -- but he also knew they couldn't work like this. It wasn't going to matter at all if they both got in trouble and jeopardized the case.

 

“Hey look, about last night,” he said.

 

“Let's forget it,” Rey said.

 

“No, hear me out. I want to do this job well and it's stupid for us to fight. We have our work cut out for us without adding our own drama so for now, truce?”

 

Rey eyed him.

 

“You promise you'll try to trust me?” she asked.

 

“You're my partner. You've never given me a reason not to, so yeah, I’ll trust you.”

 

Ben had to literally bite his tongue to keep from adding a qualifier to that statement.

 

“Okay,” Rey said, “truce.”

 

“Also,” Ben said, and he felt his face redden and cursed his complexion. “I think we should talk about what PDA is okay. We're obviously going to have to be-- closer than this,” Ben finished lamely, gesturing between them.

 

“Right, well,” Rey said, a little awkward. “I mean obviously, we need to be-- touching and stuff.”

 

“And stuff,” Ben agreed.

 

Rey sighed, and stalked toward him. She wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed against him.

 

“What's happening?” Ben asked.

 

“‘M’hugging you,” Rey said, her words muffled against his chest.

 

Ben slowly let his arms wrap around Rey.

 

“This is going to be way weirder if we can't touch each other. I think we should try to like, maintain some contact while we're alone, obviously not all the time or anything, but we can't seem stiff and awkward in front of everyone.”

 

“Okay,” Ben said, even though his brain was screaming _no --_ because he couldn't really argue, she was right. He let his head come down to rest on top of hers, tucking her head under his chin.

 

It was weird as fuck, but it got less weird as the seconds ticked by. Eventually it was actually kind of nice. Ben never hugged anyone.

 

“Okay,” Rey said, pulling away, but not losing contact. “I think like, no kissing unless it's clear the situation calls for it?”

 

“Why would the situation call for it?” Ben asked and _fuck_ he sounded nervous.

 

Rey shrugged. “I don't know, you give me a gift? Or shit Ben, I don't know, I just feel like if everyone is looking and it's obvious they're like-- nevermind. Okay, I won't kiss you unless I'm positive we have to.”

 

“Uh-- okay.” Ben said, shrugging.

 

Rey smiled a little.

 

“Relax, Ben,” she said, rubbing her hands along his arms. Ben resolutely ignored the fact that his heartbeat quickened.

 

“Sorry,” he said. “I promise I won't be weird, I'm good at staying in character. It's just-- I'm not usually big on touch.”

 

Rey dropped her hands.

 

“But you're right,” Ben said quickly. “We need to be convincing, touch is important. Kira is my wife, I’d wanna touch her,” Ben said, and he brushed a small strand away from Rey’s face.

 

“Right,” she said, and her eyes moved from his face to the floor.  

 

Ben took a step back, a little awkwardly. “I was gonna look for a gym nearby, if you're interested.”

 

“I really like running.” Rey said.

 

“No one really likes running,” Ben said.

 

Rey smiled and said, “Five miles in before 8:00am, I like it.”

 

Ben was a little impressed.

 

“What's on the agenda for today?” she asked.

 

“We gotta start talking to neighbors, I thought maybe we throw a little house warming party, see if we can find out what's been happening. People love to gossip in the suburbs right?”

 

“I mean, if desperate housewives taught me anything, yes, they love covering up murder conspiracies and revealing information through a series of dramatic twists. Do you think this will be just like that?”

 

“Very funny,” Ben said, putting coffee on. “We still don't have any food. One of us should get groceries while the other invites the neighbors over. Which would you rather do?”

 

“I'll go talk to them,” Rey said.

 

“I'll get us food. Any requests?”

 

“Just don't come back with only weird stuff. Buy normal food.”

 

“Right,” Ben said.

 

Rey disappeared upstairs.

 

Ben showered and grabbed the keys to the _fucking_ _minivan_ and found a Whole Foods.

 

He had no idea what Rey meant by “normal food” but he figured it was better to be safe than sorry. He felt bad about their fight last night, if they were going to have to play nice in front of people they needed a solid base to go on. He didn't want to fuck this up.

 

Ben had done undercover work before, although never something like this, and he knew that eventually he would reach a point where he was living more his false life than his real one. This wasn't that at all. This was a sense of surrealness, a dreamlike quality. It was the kind of domestic and ritualistic thing that he avoided.

 

Ben brought the loaded cart up to the register. While he was waiting, he found himself looking  at the fake ring on his hand. It was an ugly look, as far as he was concerned. He stuffed his hand in his pocket.

 

He paid for everything with a credit card in Kylo’s name and loaded up the _fucking minivan._

 

He wasn't sure why he was so on edge. Being around Rey always made him _uncomfortable_. She was obnoxious and loud and... _distracting_. Ben always felt like he put his foot in his mouth around her. He had never been good around pretty girls. Too much residual distrust from _years_ of being awkward and ugly.

 

He had to figure out how to relax, even if it meant sliding into Kylo a little more and being Ben a little less.  

  


Rey wasn't home, so he brought in the groceries alone and stocked the fridge and cabinets. It felt good to know they had supplies, made the house less hollow somehow.

 

Rey came in about 30 minutes later, still dressed for a run.

 

“Everyone will be here around 4:00, hope that's okay. Wanna catch the last of the sun outside. What did you get?”

 

“Normal food,” Ben said, and Rey smiled.

 

“Well done,” she said, taking a piece of cheese from the fridge. “What about dinner? I'm shit at cooking.”

 

“Don't worry, I've got it taken care of. I'll deal with food if you can hide obvious boxes.”

 

“Can do,” she said, popping another piece of cheese in her mouth and heading out of sight.

 

Ben sliced cheese and meats and fruit for later, put a rub on the lamb chops and set them to dry, and cooled a few bottles of wine. He went to see if Rey needed help. It seemed like she really was willing to put last night behind her.

 

“You is can go get ready, I'll take care of these. We can stash them in my room for now, that way it looks unused if anyone gets nosy.”

 

“Good call, you should move your stuff into my bathroom too.”

 

“Right,” he said.

 

At 4:00 sharp the doorbell rang.

 

Rey was still upstairs getting ready so Ben answered.

 

“Hey there neighbor!” the guest said. It was a man in his late twenties with dark skin and a blinding smile. He was holding hands with a sweet looking Asian girl around the same age.

 

“I'm Finn and this is my wife Rose,” he said.

 

“Nice to meet you, please come in. Kira will down shortly.”

 

Ben stood aside to let them in. He brought them to the kitchen where he had laid out food.

“Please help yourself, there's wine as well.”

 

“Thanks!” Rose said, grabbing a glass and filling it with Chardonnay.

 

“How are you settling in?” Finn asked.

 

“This place is wonderful, everyone has been so friendly and Kira and I are just over the moon with this house.”

 

“Shady Oaks is a good place,” Rose said, smiling at her husband. Finn nodded.

 

“Yeah,” Ben agreed.

 

“Sorry, honey, I'll be right down,” Rey called from upstairs.

 

“No rush, sweetheart,” Ben yelled back. He silently thanked the last few stolen moments he had before Rey was down here and he had to… play house.

 

The doorbell rang again.

 

Ben opened the door to find Poe, a bottle of rosé in his hand.

 

“Well hello Mr. Ren,” Poe said, tipping his Ray-Bans down to give Ben a once over.

 

“Poe, good to see you, come on in.”

 

Poe sauntered into the entryway.

 

“Love what you've done with the place,” he said.

 

“Uh thanks,” Ben said.  Just then he heard footsteps. Both he and Poe turned toward the sound.

 

It occurred to Ben very suddenly that he never seen Rey in a dress before. She looked stunning, with the green in the sundress bringing out the green in her eyes, her dark hair loose around her shoulders, those long tan legs bared from thigh to ankle.

 

Ben was moving toward her without thinking.

 

“You look beautiful,” he said, because he could, and he _should_ , right?  He was her husband, after all. Poe was watching.

 

Rey blushed, biting her lip gently. She stopped two steps from the bottom to press a gentle kiss to his cheek.

 

The place her lips touched continued to tingle, even after she pulled away.

 

“Poe! So glad you made it, come on we have cheese!” Rey called.

 

“Excellent,” Poe said, winking at Ben, who stayed in the entry way for a full minute after they disappeared.

 

People continued to filter in and Rey introduced him. First there was the elderly Maz Kanata. She was all of five feet tall, so much smaller than Ben that he was almost taken aback when she spoke, since her presence was immediately formidable.

 

“Kylo Ren!” Maz said. “Your wife is a delight, how are you liking Shady Oaks?”

 

“We love it so far,” Be said, and he slid his arm around Rey’s waist.

 

“Kira’s been dreaming about a house with a pool since she was a little kid, right babe?”

 

“It's _seriously_ a dream come true. We love it here.”

 

“Shady Oaks is a good place,” Maz said, nodding her head.

 

“Right,” Rey said, smiling, pressing her body slightly into Ben’s.

 

Maz wandered off to get more wine.

 

Rey took Ben's hand and pulled him over to another couple. They were… striking looking. She, tall and fair; he, slighter by a bit and with fiery red hair.

 

“This is Gwen and Arman Huxley,” Rey said.

 

The redhead extended his hand. “You can call me Hux,” he said, and he had a crisp English accent.

 

“It's wonderful to meet you,” Ben said, extending his hand to Gwen next.

 

She was strong. When she spoke, she also had an accent.

 

“How are you settling in?”

 

Ben was starting to resent the question. Rey smiled wide and leaned into him.

 

“We’re just so excited to be here.”

 

“You'll have to come round to ours on Sunday,” Hux said. “We've grown deliciously fond of American football. Gwen makes a lovely dip.”

 

Something about his entire demeanor rubbed Ben the wrong way. He'd never been into football, kind of hated it.

 

“That sounds excellent,” Ben said. “Would you excuse me for a minute?” Ben added, slipping away from Rey and heading into the kitchen.

 

God, this party sucked. If someone brought him to a party like this in real life he wouldn't speak to them for a month.

 

Ben walked into the kitchen to find Poe, along with two women he didn't know.  “Hey there, I'm Kylo,” he said, extending his hand.

 

“Jess, and this is my wife Kaydel. Sorry, we were hiding from Hux, he's kind of the dryest.”

 

“He so dry he makes a Brut pale in comparison.”

 

Ben smiled.

 

“Yeah, I'm uh, really looking forward to his football party.”

 

“Stay away from the dip,” Kaydel warned.

 

“Noted,” Ben said.

 

“So blah blah, how's the move?” Jess said, taking a piece of cheese.

 

“I think we're settling in as well as can be, it's definitely-- an adjustment. You know, leaving city life and all that.”

 

“Mmm,” Poe said, lifting his glass to his lips and smirking. “Well, Shady Oaks is a good place,” he said, a hint of something else in his voice that made Jess side eye him a little conspiratorially. Ben pretended not to notice.

 

“Hey, what happened to the people who used to live here, the Clines right?”

 

Jess, Kaydel and Poe all took a long sip from their wine glass in unison.

 

Poe finished first, rolling his eyes at the women.

 

“They went home.”

 

“Oh, like back east or something?”

 

“Just… home. They went home.” Poe shrugged.

 

“Kylo, babe, come out here, you've got to hear this joke that Hux just told.”

 

Ben rolled his eyes and smiled at the trio, and headed out to find Rey.

 

The party was dull and it continued to be dull. Ben would have been embarrassed for himself, but he knew that this was the kind of party Kira and Kylo Ren would genuinely enjoy and instead he just resented his alter-ego for being contented.

 

 

At least it was beautiful outside. They did indeed catch the last of the sun, glittering over their pool. Rey was talking animatedly with Rose, faces pressed together. She seemed to be enjoying herself. Ben smiled.

 

“She's a catch, huh?” Finn said.

 

“Oh yeah, she's something alright.” Ben said.

 

“A little young, though, no?” Finn said, no judgement in his tone, just curiosity.

 

“I'm 31, she's 26.”

 

“Huh,” Finn said, and Ben did his best not to react. He was definitely older than 31.

 

Only by like five years, but still.

 

“She is really beautiful,” Finn said. Ben felt his defenses prick. He didn't like how fond of Rey Finn seemed, especially with his own wife there, and I mean sure she was okay-looking but he wouldn't say _really_ beautiful?

 

Ben looked at Rey, who at that moment was laughing, head thrown back, the white column of her neck exposed, her dress falling against her thighs. He knew if he could see her eyes, they would be literally fucking sparkling.

 

Okay yeah she was _really_ beautiful, and Finn probably couldn't figure out why she ended up with someone as weird looking as Ben.

 

Ben winced.

 

“She is, I mean,” Ben swallowed.  “She's the prettiest girl I ever met,” Ben said. Fuck, was that corny? _Why couldn't he think of something normal to say?_

 

“No kidding! She's got that fiery spirit too, always talking so _animated_ ” Finn said.

 

“God, tell me about it. She is enthusiastic, to say the least,” Ben agreed, and he smiled at Finn. What did it matter if Finn was into Rey, he couldn't do anything about it, and it's not like Ben actually gave a shit. He just had to play the part.

 

“Trust me buddy,” he said, deciding to have some fun with Finn, “you think she gets excited about cherry blossom trees or the PH balance of the pool, you should hear the way she sounds when she's talking dirty.”

 

Ben winked and walked away, leaving Finn gaping like a fish.

 

Ben had no idea if Rey actually liked dirty talk, but it wouldn't surprise him. He hoped she did.

 

Wait no. It didn't matter. He wasn't actually sleeping with her so the point was moot.

 

He walked back over to her and knew that Finn was watching, which made him want to kiss her just for show, and suddenly he was regretting his comments about never needing to actually kiss because he could see what Rey meant. Sometimes it made sense to. It's what Ben would have done if she really was his wife, if some muscled neighbor was making eyes at his woman.

 

He didn't, but he pressed his nose against her neck in a gesture that was strangely intimate and he heard the way her breath caught as one hand came around to rest on his back.

 

“Hi baby, you okay?” she said sweetly.

 

“Mhmm,” Ben says, finally looking up and over at Rose. “I hope you and Kira are having fun. God knows she'll go crazy if she's just cooped up with me.”

 

“Oh I don't know. That doesn't sound terrible at all,” Rose said, and she winked at him. She was just as  shameless as her husband.

 

Oh my god, they were swingers. It made sense now. Ben smiled.

 

“I think Kira would argue with you on that, right sweetheart?”

 

“Oh yes,” she said, smiling. “Good thing Rose and I made plans for tomorrow, then.”

 

“Oh yes, good thing.” Ben winked at her and moved back through the crowd.

 

He needed another drink. This was fucking weird.

 

He tried to stay busy and make the rounds for the next hour while the party wound down.

 

Finally, a little after 8:00, the house was empty. It was just Rey and him.

 

“Well, that was--” Rey started

 

“Weird,” he finished.

 

“Right?” she said, walking closer to him. “ _Shady Oaks is a good place_?”

 

“I know! What is that about? How fucking Stepford Wives, right?” He was running a hand through his hair, his mind racing. The excitement of looking at a puzzle in front of him was lifting his mood dramatically. “Poe knows something,” Ben said. “He seems self-aware somehow, Jess and Kaydel too, _maybe_ , but the rest are-- I don't know what the word is. Sincere? Like they mean it when they say it.”

 

“It's so weird, Ben,” Rey whispered. She was smiling too. “Rose is sweet, though, I do like her.”  

 

“Good. I meant what I said. It's good to get out of this house every so often. Plus the closer you are to her, the easier it will be to get information.”

 

“Right,” Rey said, and she bounced on her heels a bit. Her hair was loose and dark and she looked pink cheeked from wine and excitement.

 

Finn was right. She was _really_ beautiful.

 

“Hey you wanna watch a movie or something? I haven't seen _Evolution_ in forever,” she said.

 

He thought about their fight last night.

 

Ben opened his mouth to say _thanks, but no thanks,_ but the idea of just relaxing on the couch watching one of his favorite movies and polishing off the leftover cheese sounded nice. _Really_ nice.

 

“Sure,” he said. “I'm gonna change and I'll meet you down here in ten.”

 

Rey pushed past him, looking over her shoulder. “First one down gets the last chunk of Brie,” she said, and she ran.

 

Oh, it was _on._

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is on temporary hold, and I will start updating again when I finish Treehouse. It's not dead! Just sleeping. Feel free to poke it with a stick. 
> 
> Big thanks to @black_lodge for being my beta <3
> 
> Come find me on Tumblr !
> 
> r-e-a-l-m-a-t-h.tumblr.com


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